Large collections of items require some form of organization in order to be able to effectively find one sought after item from amongst the larger collection. Some examples of collections include, but are not limited to, books, compact discs (CD's), file folders, videotapes, digital video discs (DVD's), etc. Collections of items such as these are frequently stored in units or locations that may include, but are not limited to vertical shelves, horizontal shelves, file cabinets, hanging folders, CD towers, drawers, storage boxes, etc.
One approach to organizing collections of items in units such as listed above has been to put the collections of items into order according to a title, letter, number, other symbol, or combination of symbols associated with each item in the collection. Using an example of CD collections, owners frequently put their collections into order on a shelf in alphabetical order by the name of the musical artist.
Large collections can be further organized by using a device or collection of devices such as index cards. A symbol, such as a letter of the alphabet is affixed to an edge of the index card. The card is then inserted next to items that correspond to the symbol on the edge of the card. Using the CD example, a letter of the alphabet such as an “A” is affixed to an edge of a card, and the “A” card is placed next to CD's with a musical artist who's name begins with “A.” Other cards or indexing devices can be placed within the collection of items in a similar manner, thus the collection can be sub-divided into a number of more manageable sub-categories. Each sub-category is easily located by it's corresponding card or indexing device.
One problem with this approach is that a user may approach the collection from a number of different angles, and the symbol such as the letter “A” used in the previous example, will not be visible from some approach angles. Even if the symbol is visible, it may be oriented in a way that is not easily readable from some angles.
An additional problem exists with the limited flexibility of current indexing devices. Several storage configurations exist for storing collections of items. Using an example of CD storage, several different storage configurations are possible. Two examples include a vertical configuration and a horizontal configuration. It is desirable for the symbol to be easily readable, therefore the symbol must be suitably oriented on each manufactured variety of indexing device for each storage option.
A manufacturer of indexing devices currently must make a number of different indexing devices, each configured to accommodate various storage configurations, for example vertical and horizontal storage orientations. Additionally, a vendor that wishes to sell indexing devices must place orders, keep inventory, and use display space for several varieties of indexing devices that are designed for different storage configurations. The requirement for multiple configurations is more complicated and costly for manufacturers, and vendors. Further, consumers who purchase a single indexing device product are currently limited to one storage orientation. No single device is currently available to satisfy the above listed industry needs.
What is needed is a single indexing device that is flexible in use to be universally applied to multiple storage configurations. What is also needed is an indexing device that is easily readable from various angles. What is also needed is an indexing device that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and distribute to consumers.